Whatever kid, I’m starving (what to order at Subway)

Most of us try our best to eat healthy and make wise food choices.  With all the misinformation out there, it’s hard to always know what’s the best choice to make.  But wait!  Go work 3 hours straight and then have a P.A. come up to you with a menu while you’re smack dab in the middle of shooting a scene and try to choose what to eat with one eye in the viewfinder and the other scanning a menu.  You know what happens next.  As soon as your gaze settles on the burrito section of the Baja Fresh menu, the cast erupts in some huge story you’ve been waiting for, the director nearly shatters your eardrum yelling at you to frame up, and you look over at the P.A. and say, “ Shit dude, gotta go, order me something, anything...I’m starving.”

First off, I’m not a nutritionist.  Don’t want to be.   But I do know how to read nutritional labels like the back of my hand.  So, here’s my attempt to delve into those menus that repeatedly come up on set, and to offer advice on what to choose for lunch when you’ve got 2.5 seconds to make your food decision, use the bathroom, check your facebook and rest your feet.

Some shows don’t have much of a lunch budget.  You don’t always get the best menu to choose from.  Case in point...SUBWAY.  What to do?

Basics...a meal needs proteins (think animal sources or eggs), carbohydrates (think whole grain breads, veggies or fruits) and fats (oils, nuts, cheeses).  Balancing this ratio can be tricky; make sure your meals have all three.

My Top Sandwich picks for Subway:

1.   Oven Roasted Chicken

2.   Roast beef

3.   Turkey Breast

Tips for ordering at SUBWAY:

1.  Order the bread “scooped out”.  They just remove the “innards” of the bread to make your sandwich less carb loaded.  The result:  less of a bloated or sleepy food coma feeling post meal.  My best bread picks: 9 GRAIN WHEAT or HEARTY ITALIAN.

2.   Order double meat.  Upping the protein makes the sandwich a little more balanced.

3.  Order as many veggies as you want.  Don’t skimp.

4.  Pass on the chips.  Have the APPLE slices instead.

5.   If it’s in the budget, order a footlong.  Eat half and save the other half for a few hours later when you get hungry again.  I can bet that it’s going to be more healthful than what’s at crafty.

6.   Avoid the “fat free” sauces.  Ever wonder why the fat free stuff tastes good?  Because it’s loaded with sugar or salt.  You’re better off with the olive oil blend or mustard.

7.   Choose one FAT on your sandwich.  Avocado...cheese or oil.  Good fats are satiating and filling.    Cheddar, provolone and swiss are all good Subway choices and are lower in sodium than the american cheese.

Every menu has some items that make my jaw drop at how much salt or sugar or calories they contain.  If you’re looking for a lunch that will make you gain weight and feel totally horrible, here are my picks.

Subway’s Biggest offender sandwiches:

1.   Footlong Subway Club and the 6” The Feast sandwiches both contain more sodium than your recommended DAILY allowance.  Wonder why you’re bloated?

2.  Footlong Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki.  This big guy has 34 grams of sugar.  That’s roughly 8 teaspoons.  You’d get the same amount of sugar if you ate 9 chips ahoy cookies.

More deconstructed menus coming soon.  Special menu requests?  Feel free to email me at mariaabarca@mac.com